


Scrawl Mates

by Aspiring_Life



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-22
Updated: 2016-11-23
Packaged: 2018-07-16 16:11:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7274887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aspiring_Life/pseuds/Aspiring_Life
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adrien Agreste is caught off guard one day when he finds out he has a soul mate connected to him by the power of art. Anything written on his skin appears on theirs, and he wants desperately to find the girl that covers him in beautiful art.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Adrien flicked the light back on, the dim flashlight on its last few uses. He watched the brown still slowly curling its way down his arm in confident and practiced swoops. He smiled as there’s a pause at the end of a curl. He knew she was thinking whether or not she should continue; should finish the beautiful picture.

He reached for the pen on his nightstand, right where he always kept it. He’d had to replace it over twenty times now, and soon he’d need another.

He found it and brought it back over, pulling the cap off with his teeth before flicking the tip towards his forearm. He smiled as he saw her press the tip back down, the ink spreading out ever so slightly into a small dot.

He touched his own pen to his arm, gently pulling it along to watch the black emerge from the tip and be born upon the freshly cleaned arm.

_Please, keep going._ He wrote and waited for the response. He looked at his right palm and felt the grin that split his face as her beautifully curling cursive started to appear on the flesh there.

_You sure you aren’t bothered by it? I can stop._ She wrote the last part as an afterthought. It was late, sure, but when had that ever stopped her before?

Memories of the first time it happened came back to mind; waking up with his arms encased in the beautiful brown pictures of vines and leaves tracing their way down to his fingers. Walking through school had been interesting, everyone asking if they were his doing. Then they realized just what the marks were and each girl would give him a cute smile, and the guys would give him a pat on the back and a nod in approval.

So, no, her art had never bothered him. No matter how covered he’d been, it had never bothered him.

Even his photographer and father had taken a liking to her drawings. His photographer admired her talent with drawing on the pliable medium that is skin, and had claimed her to be quite the artist. His father had seen it as a new advertising ploy.

_Adrien Agreste, so perfect that even his Scrawl Mate encases him in beauty,_ had been the headline of the next fashion magazine.

To say he didn’t appreciate his father using his Scrawl’s art as a marketing ploy was an understatement. But, he’d slowly grown used to it and was almost appreciative of how the girls around him slowly started flirting less, and eventually even Chloe began leaving him alone at times.

He touched his tool back to his canvas and responded. _No, no. You’ve never bothered me. Please, finish it. I love having your art on my arms._

Her only response was a blushing smiley face on his palm before she continued her beautiful looping work. He chuckled lightly as his arm was once again slowly encased in the majesty that was her art.

Plagg sat up next to him, the jaw splitting yawn that came from the little kwami enough to surprise his chosen. “What are you still doing up?”

Adrien looked at the little cat and raised his arm, as if that would answer everything. “She was gonna stop half way…”

Plagg let out a huff and rolled over. “You and that girl are the most annoying couple I’ve ever seen in my life...and you don’t even know who she is!” The little cat shouted.

Adrien brushed off the rude remark and reached over to put down his flashlight and pen. “I don’t need to know who she is to enjoy her company.” He said softly as he rolled onto his side.

Plagg let out a small chuckle. “Does that also apply to Ladybug?”

Adrien’s scowl was obvious and brooding in the dark, even his own malice bringing a sour taste to his mouth. “Ladybug is different. I love her and you know that.”

“If you already have a match then why do you insist on flirting with her? You’re only gonna end up hurting her or yourself.” Plagg repeated for what must have been the thousandth time.

Adrien sighed and closed his eyes tight against the Parisian light flowing through his windows. “Because I’m certain she’s my match. If only I could see her arms…”

He remembered the first day he discovered her.

  


The first day Adrien had even heard of matches was an interesting one; do to the fact that he _didn’t_ hear about them until his left arm was suddenly being traced in brown curls and flowers during a photoshoot.

The marks didn’t hurt; infact there was _no_ feeling to them. He couldn’t _feel_ that he was connected to anyone. He couldn’t feel it when she (he didn’t know their gender at the time) was drawing, and she couldn’t feel it when he was writing. He just simply raised his arm at the right time to notice the brown starting to span his tan skin.

His photographer had stopped the shoot on account of the screaming, panicking teen and had to take another hour to explain the concept to him.

Scrawl Mates are not always born together, but they are born for one another. Whatever one person writes on their skin, or in any location, it appears on the other person in that same place. When a match dies, or loses the appendage with writing on it the marks automatically disappear from the still living/uninjured partner.

Typically, children are taught the basics on the topic in school, but Adrien’s being homeschooled inhibited his learning of the topic. 

Even his photographer neglected to give him all the information.

The next time they had begun drawing he’d swallowed his heart and reached for a pen, going up towards the inside of his elbow, just so he wouldn’t disturb their drawing.

_Hi._ He wrote simply, his hand shaking and his mouth going dry.

He watched their drawing stop suddenly, halfway through a curve and his heart nearly stopped. He counted to three before he saw them touch the pen back down, and finish out the beautiful curl, but there was something different.

They wrote it backwards so their hand was a little shaky, but it was still just as beautiful.

A simply, _hey,_ incorporated into the drawing.

Adrien’s smile had been bright enough to pierce the dark shadow of doubt that had been circling him all day.

All day he’d been worrying about the person on the other side. Would they like him? Would he like them? Would they respond? Would they even care?

Apparently they did, and a lot. He watched as they switched hands and started writing on their/his right arm instead.

_I’m ambidextrous so talking like this will make things easier._ Came the beautifully written handwriting.

Adrien’s heart stopped. He couldn’t believe how calm the person was about all this. They were just simply willing to give up their arm space and writing with their obviously dominant hand just so they could talk.

_Thank you for that._ Adrien wrote and traced a small smiley face onto his palm. _So, what’s your name?_

The person seemed to hesitate. _My name is,_ was all that came out on his arm, even though there was an obvious space for their name.

His brows furrowed as he looked at the writing. He switched hands and shakily drew an arrow pointing to the space in which their name could fit.

_Is this a sort of ‘you guess my name’ game? Cause I’m terrible at those._ He wrote on his left arm.

The person took a moment to respond. You can’t see my name because I can’t just write it down. Have you...do you know anything about Scrawl Mates?

Adrien felt his face flush with embarrassment as he touched his pen back to his arm, pulling more black stains out from the tip.

_Not really. I missed the day they were explaining things._ He admitted with a quirked eye at the embarrassing truth.

He waited a moment before the person started writing again. _Well, then let me explain some things to you. Hello, it’s nice to meet you. I’ll be your Scrawl Mate for this life._

They were nice enough to explain things to him in a not so harsh way, but that didn’t stop him from feeling like a complete idiot the entire time. Still, he knew so much more after their kind hand started writing.

It was almost hilarious how they wrote so much. They started on the outside of their arm, and when they ran out of room there, started on their leg, the calf, then the other one, then a thigh. He imagined them huffing in anger as they peeled off their pants and slipped on some shorts just to give them more room to write.

They explained everything he already knew about Scrawl Mates, Scrawls for short, and then moved on to the things he didn’t know. The connection allowed them to talk and transfer drawings and tattoos and such, but it didn’t allow any sort of personal description to be stated without having to cheat the system a bit.

They could write them on their own arms, but it just wouldn’t show up on the other’s skin. So, basically, they had to find ways around it.

_Okay, I get it now,_ he wrote after a while. _How about we both go wash up and then come back to talk again?_

_Yes, please._ They wrote back and he took off for the bathroom, grabbing his phone on the way.

He texted Nathalie, asking for some body paints and a stylus from his chinese lessons to be brought up, along with a wet cloth and a bowl of water. By the time he came back from washing the ink from his arms the items were nicely set on his desk and a small note from Nathalie folded next to the paint.

_Don’t stay up all night._ It made him smile how much like an aunt or mother Nathalie could be at times.

He sat back down at the table and looked over his arms and legs, looking for any brown stains that still marked the otherwise perfect skin. There was still some on his left calf, but as he watched it was slowly washed away.

He smiled and grabbed the stylus, dipping it into the body paint. He wrote out on his left arm quickly, _do you have any body paint?_

With the familiarity of the stylus in his hand he had to fight back the urge to write in chinese and almost laughed at himself as he’d began one of the characters before quickly changing it.

It took them a few minutes to reply, but finally they came back with a simply. _Yep. Unlike someone, I was ready for this day._

He winced playfully and wrote back. _Ouch, that hurts._

He smiled as they drew a small face sticking out their tongue at him. _So, how are we going to get around this whole no detail thing?_

There was a pause, then a genuine, _I have no clue._

Adrien thought for a few moments. But nothing he came up with was really...appropriate. So, he had to channel his inner Chat Noir before spreading the next part across his arm.

_This is going to be really stupid, but...just trust me._

Then he went about drawing two human figures on the back of his hand. One of the frames had wider hips than the other, and two small curves under the chest region. On the other body he drew more broad shoulders and, regrettably, a bulge drawn at the body’s hips.

His job was mediocre at best but they were still recognizable.

_Check which one is most...familiar, and please, forgive me._

He looked away in utter shame as his vulgarity was no doubt seen and internalized by his Scrawl. He watched and waited for his hand to be enveloped in brown, waited for them to cover up his drawings in shame.

But it never came.

Adrien felt regret settling in his stomach like a cold and heavy stone.

Had he gone too far with his drawings and now they no longer wanted to talk to him? Would they ever forgive him?

Then an arrow stretched towards the male figure on his hand and then a question mark appeared below it.

_I’m guessing there’s supposed to be a man here?_ They wrote back.

_Yes._ He wrote back and knew it showed up on her arm based on her next response.

_Good, because, beyond what my friends think, I’m not a lesbian, or bi._

Adrien stared at the line, stared for as long as it was there and even after she had erased it before the laughing started. This was fantastic! If she was accused of being a lesbian then she had to be a girl. A girl with a sense of humor.

_We may have just met, but I think I’m already falling for you,_ he wrote as he wiped away tears of laughter and the figures on his hand.

She drew another smiley sticking out its tongue before writing her response. _Well, I’d hope so. We’re kinda made for each other._

Adrien could help the grin that split his lips, nor the giddiness that filled his chest. _Indeed, we are, my love. So, female then?_

_Yes,_ she responded, _at least that’s one thing out of the way._

They spoke for hours, but getting around the system was much harder than they thought. He found out she indeed was from France, glad that she wasn’t a French-Canadian instead; that brought the distance down a little.

Cities were impossible. Physical descriptions were...difficult, but he eventually got out that she had short black hair. She was able to get that he was a blond, and was very handsome.

Eventually he’d had to go to bed; the next day was a photoshoot he couldn’t be late for. But that didn’t mean she’d slept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve written anything. This is based off this\/\/ post, just cause I thought it was such a cute idea. This is supposed to be more of a slow burner so I don’t know how long it’s gonna last. Hope you enjoy :) btw this is gonna be a mini-series thing where each part isn’t going to be all that long.
> 
> >>http://livingthroughliteracy.tumblr.com/post/140721531442/jean-bo-peep-princess-tuna-let-gavin-free
> 
> Both of the darlings are in their final year of schooling btw, so they're almost eighteen.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien finds out that Scrawls are not always that beautiful of a thing.

The next day had been interesting. His arms were encased in the brown flower work; both of them. He woke to the sight of his bare fingertips and sighed, thinking about her beautiful drawings and handwriting. That’s when his eye caught the end of a leaf at the very edge of his palm, and he traced the leaf back to the vine from which it originated.

That’s when his vision was filled with long and curling branches and tendrils that wound their way around his arms; starting at his fingers like roots and spreading upward from there. He followed them slowly, his fingers coming out cautiously to stroke the work, worried it might come off at his touch.

It didn’t, and he couldn’t have been happier.

He had to get up and go to his mirror to see where they ended, his shirt being pried off to free his skin and the marks to the cool morning air.

She didn’t just restrain her drawings to her arms, and he was bewildered as to how she’d done all of this in the span on a single night. The vines didn’t end until they forked part way across his chest, and over his shoulder. Some of the leaves were even seen trailing their way up his neck, one ending on the pulse point of his throat.

He was bewildered with how beautiful it was, and how utterly amazing she must have been to do such masterful work. What kind of a person did she have to be to be this creative?

He didn’t know. But he was going to find out.

He looked at the clock and sighed as he counted down the knock on his door as Nathalie came to wake him. When there was no response, (Adrien being too enthralled in his new adornments), and she opened the door, peeking her head inside.

“Adrien? It’s time to get up. You can’t be late for school--” Her words died on her tongue as she saw the shirtless teen.

She walked in cautiously when he turned to smile at her, pride showing through his features. She approached, her deadpan gaze scrutinizing every aspect of the art that now tainted the teen’s normally perfect skin.

Adrien felt his anxiety slowly rising as she came to stand before him, studying the art. He felt like he was under a microscope. He prayed she would let him keep it.

After a few moments, she made an approving noise somewhere in her throat. “I guess your Scrawl is really creative. I doubt your father will appreciate it but we’ll have to see. Get ready, we can’t have you being late.”

Adrien didn’t know if it was shock or joy he felt first. The shock that Nathalie had been so approving of the marks, and that she simply accepted them as something he had now. The joy that she _didn’t hate them._

He’d admit that the first time they’d shown up he’d thought about telling the other person not to draw anymore because it would possibly be hated by his father and photographer.

He was glad he hadn’t said anything.

With his heart leaping in his chest he went to his closet and pulled out a short sleeved shirt, leaving behind his jacket. He wanted everyone to see what she’d done last night. He wanted everyone to know just how lucky he was.

Gorilla had little to nothing to say about the marks. But, then again, he never spoke.

Upon arriving at school it was hard for the blond to pry his eyes away from the art still spanning his skin. He hoped to god that it would stay the rest of the day. He dreaded if she went swimming or showered.

The only thing to make him look up was his best friend sauntering up to him with a cocky look about him. “Dude, nice body art. You’re dad trying for a new fashion trend again?”

Adrien gave Nino a friendly smile as his eyes finally left his decorated arm. “Nah, man. You’ll never guess where these came from.”

His friend's eyebrows seemed to knit together as his mind worked over the possible origins of the mysterious art. Then his eyes grew to the size of saucers as a grin split his face and his lips parted in a joyous hoot.

“Seriously? Your Scrawl did t _hat?_ Dude, you are one lucky man. I mean, look at that! She’s got some real talent.”

That’s when they heard a confident voice clear their throat behind them. The two boys turned to see Nino’s girlfriend, Alya, and her best friend Marinette standing nearby. Alya, as always, had the classically curious glint already playing in her eyes as she moved from her friend’s side to stand before the two teens.

“What are you two gawking at?” She scrutinized. Then her eyes seemed to trace their way along Adrien. More specifically, his arms. “Whoa, dude, what happened to you? It looks like you got in a fight with an art student and lost.”

Adrien was about to reply when Nino cut him off with an arm thrown around the young man’s shoulders. “This guy didn’t do anything. A certain little lady did that for him.” His friend said pridefully.

Adrien pushed him away jokingly and held up his arms. “Isn’t it beautiful? We talked for most of last night, and when I woke up my arms were like this.”

Alya’s eyes sparked with something as she turned back to Marinette, the raven haired girl standing a few feet away, head down in what looked like embarrassment. Alya urged the young girl to come forward and for the first time, Adrien noticed the change in Marinette’s normally simply attire.

Instead of her flower clad shirt and black jacket she now wore a different variation of the combination. She wore a light pink high-neck button up along with what looked like long black gloves. Adrien found the gloves interesting.

They were longer than any gloves he’d seen before--that’s saying something coming from a model. They started at her fingertips, or more accurately one knuckle up, the tips being cut away. The soft looking black material smoothed it’s way up her arms, disappearing under the pink top.

He had to admit, she looked good, but the look was odd. Why did she choose to wear the gloves?

“Looks like you aren’t the only one that was marked up, after all, Mari.” The young teen said to her friend with a small grimace hitting her eyes, but not her smiling lips.

Adrien’s mind picked up pace. Maybe she’s the one that had decorated him so? He waited for either of the girls to elaborate, but it seemed Alya was waiting for Mari, and the other teen needed some encouraging.

Finally, Alya elbowed Mari into talking. “Uh-uh sorry! Um. I-I was marked too. B-but mine are...um. Mine are--uh-more...lewd?” She tried.

Neither one of the boys seemed to understand. Alya sighed and pushed up her glasses. “She apparently woke up and her arms were covered in...dicks.”

Adrien was shocked, looking back over at the young girl whose features now resembled a tomato. Her face was tilted down, away from his, but he still gave her a look of pity. He couldn’t imagine what that might have been like, waking up to your Scrawl tattooing profanity across your arms.

Marinette shifted uncomfortably under his gaze and glanced up at him before her eyes went to trace the drawings on his arms. He was shocked by the wonderment in her stare. No, not wonderment, more like scrutiny. She seemed to be studying the positioning, and angling of everything as it tracked his skin.

“Well, I’m sorry you have such an asshole for a Scrawl,” Nino said and patted Mari on the shoulder, causing the girl to jump.

She looked at him and offered a small smile. “Thanks, Nino. Do you know who you’re Scrawl is?”

That’s when the teen’s face split into the biggest grin Adrien had ever seen as he reached into his backpack, producing a pen.

He pulled the cap off with his teeth as he used his other hand to grab Alya’s. Both Mari and Adrien were confused until the moment came that Nino touched the tip to the back of his hand.

He drew a simple heart, showing up as a black design on his skin, but on Alya’s hand, it was a dark brown. Marinette and Adrien watched in wonder as the design traced itself out on both their hands and then they stood holding hands and smiling.

“You two are Scrawls?!” Marinette gushed as a smile finally decorated her cute face. “Oh, my god, Alya. I’m so happy for you! So, are you two dating now or--”

Adrien didn’t pay attention as the two girls went on to ramble about things. Nino was smart and took his leave from the brunette’s side, choosing instead to walk to the side of his friend to admire the two girls as they chatted.

After a few moments, he spoke. “You don’t have to worry man, I’m happy.”

“I know you are, and I’m glad.” Adrien piped and slapped his friend on the shoulder.

Nino chuckled and fakely rocked with the hit, looking back to address his friend with a resolve smile. “Dude, you don’t have to worry because that’s one of us down.” He glanced down at Adrien’s arms, and the blond couldn’t help but follow his gaze, warmly appreciating his marks. “But we still gotta find your Scrawl. I promise I’ll do anything I can to help.”

Adrien looked back up at his friend, a smile of admiration crossing his lips at his friend’s resolve. “Thanks, man.”

The bell sounded and drew the group towards their first class of the day. As they settled into their seats Adrien felt it wasn’t right to leave things off like he had with Marinette.

He turned to the sparrow haired young woman and offered her a warm smile. “Hey, Mari?”

She seemed shocked by his sudden attention, and her hands stuttered around the pencils before her. “Uh, yes?”

He felt almost sorry for the girl. She deserved much better than this. “If we ever find out who your scrawl is, I’m going to sit down with him and get him to understand that he shouldn’t be covering you in profanity.”

The girl looked utterly dumbfounded by his words. “R--really?”

He nodded. “Yes. Because a nice girl like you deserves to be adorned in beauty, not in something that ugly.”

He felt almost bad for how deeply she flushed. Luckily, the teacher came to her rescue, and Adrien was forced to turn his attention back to the front of the class. He hoped he’d done enough to help reassure his classmate that she was worth so much more than what her Scrawl was giving her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is still a slow burn with short installments so yes it’s not that long. Idk when the next chapter is going to be coming out.
> 
> Also, that first chapter to edit and code to be italicized was a bitch to go through lol.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien has an idea. Whether it's good or bad is still left to be seen.  
>  ~~Still some more exposition to help set up for later.~~

_If only I could see her arms._

The thought will not leave him alone. Adrien can’t sleep, too distracted by the single sentence bouncing around in his head.

He knows he’s never able to see her arms, and the thought haunts him. The drawings that are left on his body are mostly condensed to his arms and his chest. Neither of which he can see when she’s in uniform.

The only time things were different was on the first day when he was first talking to her. But those had been different, they’d gone up his…

Adrien gently reaches up, tracing the drawings he couldn’t see but he knew she was sketching. He follows the path of them with his fingers, and stops just at his collarbone, before proceeding up to where they’d ended the first time.

Just behind his ear.

He touches the spot gingerly, remembering the way Nathalie had looked at them. Even a turtle neck wouldn’t have covered them, which is why he’d been glad she didn’t make him cover up.

He freezes, his fingers stilling just behind his ear.

_Even a turtle neck wouldn’t have covered them._

A sudden realization crosses Adrien’s mind. Ladybug can’t see if something is written behind her ear unless she specifically checks. And the top part of her neck is still revealed in her costume...and so is his.

He sits up, his hand reaching towards his bedside to grasp the nearly dead pen that rests there. He toys with it between his fingers as he gently rubs the area behind his ear.

Should he?

He stares down at the silhouetted pen in his hand. Was it worth it?

“I want to know,” he justifies to the dark as he stands.

He walks quietly to the mirror at the other side of his room, not bothering to turn on a light as he is guided by the moon’s light.

He brushes back his golden hair and looks at the space behind his ear. It is hidden enough normally that no one will notice or question any sort of symbol there.

He pulls the cap on his pen and looks down at it once again. What will she do if she finds out? What if she finds it early? What if there is no attack tomorrow?

There’s an internal debate, one side of Adrien wanting-- _needing_ \--to know, and the other telling him it is wrong.

Eventually, he looks up, staring his dark reflection in the eye.

_I am going to find out,_ he thinks and brings the pen up, gently touching it to his skin, _one way, or another._

  


“ _I said:_ what’s wrong with you, Chat?” Ladybug repeated once again.

It had to be the fourth time she’d said it, but Adrien hadn’t honestly been paying attention the first few times. “Oh, nothing, My Lady.” He purred and flipped around on the chimney, “I’m just a little purr-occupied.”

Ladybug rolled her eyes, jumping up to sit on a drainage pipe near him. “It’s not like you to be distracted like this. Something happen?”

Chat shot her a shit-eating grin, laying back across the warm metal vents as he gazed happily up at the stars. “I guess you could say that. But it’s more of a _someone_ not a something.”

Ladybug’s eyebrow cocked up. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Chat rolled onto his stomach, pillowing his chin on his hands as he grinned blissfully at her. “I met my Scrawl a few days ago, and we’ve been talking nearly every chance we get.”

Ladybug seemed surprised at first, but soon the shock turned to a warm sort of understanding as she gently reached to touch her wrist. “That’s a coincidence. I met mine a few days ago too.”

Chat’s blissful grin disappeared, replaced with a raised head and a curious look. Could it be…

“Really? Do you know who they are?”

“He,” Ladybug corrected, “and yes. I actually do. He and I meet almost every day.”

Chat’s hopes deflated. There had been some small part of him that had held onto the thought that maybe Ladybug was his Scrawl, but by the wistful look in her eyes, and the way her fingers gently traced her arm, he knew there was no chance that it was him.

Heck, he didn’t even know who his Scrawl was, and she’d already met hers in person.

“Well,” he started slowly, “I’m happy for you, My Lady. It’s not every day you get to meet the person you're destined fur.”

Ladybug’s eyes came back into focus, this time, a hint of sadness to them as they focused on Chat. “Don’t worry, Chat. I know you’ll find your Scrawl, eventually.”

The thought brought a smile to his face. “I hope so. She draws the most amazing things. I want to see who’s responsible.”

She smiled, her eyes gleaming with pride. “My Scrawl says the same thing. He loves my art, and it kinda shocks me sometimes.”

Chat cocked his head to the side. “Why are you surprised? I bet you’re a fantastic drawer.”

Ladybug scoffed, smiling to herself. “Can you keep a secret?”

Chat smiled, pretending to zip his mouth shut. “My lips are sealed.”

“My drawings aren’t meant to be pretty,” Ladybug admitted. “They’re kinda meant to be a stress relief. I started drawing cause I needed to know what something looked like on skin, then just kept going cause it felt nice to draw on something besides paper. But he loves them! The way he smiles and shows them off…”

She was blushing now, her cheeks the color of her costume as she reached up to gently touch the side of her face. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be bragging.”

She hadn’t seemed to yet notice the wide grin that took up Chat’s face. “What are you talking about, My Lady? I love hearing you babble on. You’re so purr-ty when you talk about your Scrawl. You two must be so happy together.”

The smile that took up her face was nothing short of perfect. “Thanks, Chat. I hope you find your Scrawl soon.”

He smiled back. “Thank you, My Lady.”

There was a loud crash a few blocks away, forcing both heroes to their feet. “That’s our cue.”

“After you, My Lady,” Chat said with a bow.

Ladybug rolled her eyes, taking off. “Just for future reference: telling a girl to go first towards a deadly creature is not a good way of flirting.”

Chat smirked. “It seems to work well enough on you.”

Ladybug laughed just as they emerged on the Akuma. “I’m not like most girls, Chat.”

He watched as she launched herself into battle, taking on the Akuma as if it were nothing.

_Don’t I know it,_ Chat thought and ran after.

  


“Late night?” Alya questioned in class the next day as Adrien yawned once again.

“You could say that,” he said with a soft smile.

Nino elbowed him painfully in the ribs as he smirked. “You up all night talking to your Scrawl again?”

Adrien shrugged. “Kinda? I talked to her some last night, but I got caught up with something else a little later on.”

“Ooohhhh, I wonder what that is.” Alya gushed as she continued to ignore the homework that sat before her.

“Guys, really it’s not that big of a deal,” Adrien tried to assure. “I was just up late--uh--prepping for a shoot today. Nathalie told me I had to hide my Scrawl’s drawings for some reason, so I had to figure out a way to do it.”

“And did you?” Nino asked, shocked that Nathalie would ask something like that.

Adrien shook his head. “Nothing can cover them up. Even makeup. It just shows right through. I’m just gonna have to write her and ask her to wash them off.”

Alya sighed, propping her head up on her hand as she stared at Marinette next to her. “If only she could do the same.”

The two boys turn to look at the lightly sleeping girl, smiling at how she’d curled up on her desk.

“At least fewer people are asking to see her arms today.” Nino offered.

Alya nodded. “People are starting to understand that she doesn’t really like the attention.”

Adrien understood. He hated getting so much attention at school for being a model. He couldn’t imagine the type of attention those drawings on her arms drew. He’d hate to be in her position.

“I still wanna meet whoever her Scrawl is and teach him a lesson.”

Alya scoffed. “You’ll get whatever’s left after I’m done with him.”

Adrien smiled. “You’re an awesome friend, Alya. She’s lucky to have her.”

“And I’m lucky to have you,” Nino said as he drew another heart on the back of his hand.

Alya rolled her eyes and help up the design. “You’re so cheesy.”

Nino laughed, then seemed to have an idea as he turned back to his hand and concentrated on a new drawing.

Alya ignored her dorky boyfriend and turned back to Adrien instead. “So you have another shoot tonight?”

Adrien nodded. “I’m modeling the new summer line. Mainly sleeveless tops and shorts so I can’t have the drawings on my arms.”

Alya nodded. “I hope your Scrawl understands. Does she know who you are or at least your job?”

He shrugged. “She guessed I was a photographer. It’s kind of hard to get across occupations without giving away too much and the connection leaving some things out.”

Alya nodded. “That’s why it’s good Nino and I know each other. If you know who your Scrawl is, you don’t have to hide anything and it just comes through.”

Adrien sighed. “I wish I knew her.”

Alya leaned forward over her desk to pat his shoulder. “Don’t worry, You’ll get there.”

He gave her a soft smile. “I hope I do.”

“I did it!” Nino suddenly shouted, eliciting a glare from the substitute teacher.

A shit-eating grin was plastered to his face as he turned back to his friends and lowered his head in mock shame. “I finally drew a self-portrait for you, Alya.”

Alya looked down at her hand with a quirked eyebrow.

The groan that escaped her mouth was the closest thing to pure anguish Adrien had ever heard.

“What’d you draw?” Adrien asked as Alya nearly slammed her head down onto the table in frustration.

Nino proudly raised up the picture of stinky cheese he’d drawn on the back of his hand, eliciting another groan from Alya, this time, loud enough to even wake Marinette.

The poor confused girl blinked awake to the sight of Adrien laughing too hard for his own good, Nino holding up a picture of cheese on his hand, and Alya slowly dying of embarrassment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who got some sleep? Guess who also got sick? Guess who's bored as hell in bed? Meeeee!
> 
>  
> 
> ~~Guess who should be worried about the angst? You.~~


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s time for the world to know about Adrien’s Scrawl, but not everyone is ready for it.

“What is this? I can’t work with nothing!”

“Calm down, Dion, please.” Nathalie tried again in vain to diffuse the avid photographer.

“I will not! How am I to work with this? Where is the art?! Where is the beauty?! I need something to work with.” He went on shouting, pointing at Adrien and nearly pounding his head against a wall.

Adrien could _see_ the frustration in Nathalie as her arms crossed over her chest and her face went cold and unmoving. “Mr. Agreste has specifically expressed a distaste for the drawings. We do not want them in the new catalog.”

“It doesn’t matter what you want,” Dion spat back at the red-haired woman. “It matters what _they_ want.”

He pointed towards the windows shining out towards the Parisian city. Adrien followed his finger and saw the girls lining the windows, looking in and waving as security moved in to shoo them away.

He spared them a smile and waved back before they were ushered from the set.

“What do you mean, Dion?” Nathalie asked, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration.

Dion moved towards her side, holding Nathalie’s shoulders and forcing her to look at Adrien. “The people have seen this boy enough already. They know him. They love him! But everyone knows about his Scrawl by now. I mean, the boy wears her art around like a new designer jacket! How are we to hide it?”

Nathalie frowned. “Mr. Agreste has--”

Dion ground his teeth, stamping his feet and walking over to Adrien. “It _doesn't matter_ what Mr. Agreste thinks. It doesn’t even matter what the boy thinks. What matters, is what everyone else will think. The public loves art; they love romances; they are obsessed with love stories. Why not pair all three together?” He turned to Adrien and clutched his shoulders with steady, intense hands. “You, my boy, are already a work of art. But your love has chosen to cover you in even more beauty. Wouldn’t you want the world to know how much you are loved?”

Adrien found himself speechless, staring back with his jaw hanging loose.

Someone loved him, and his photographer was willing to show it off to the public for once.

Adrien’s eyes shot towards Nathalie as he felt his heart skip a beat. “Nathalie, could we maybe…”

The scowl that crossed her face etched into her features like stone. “Adrien--”

“Mademoiselle,” Dion quickly cut in, “politely, take your boss's comments and shove them up his _connasse_. Neither of you know anything of the people, or of art. You only know orders and he only knows business. Leave the actual work to those you hired to do it.”

Dion turned and snapped his fingers, drawing over a young intern. He chatted with her for a moment as Adrien looked down at his arms.

Was he willing to go against his father’s orders and show off her art?

Definitely. It if meant she got her chance to shine and be known for the beauty she shared with him, it would mean everything to him.

“Dion, can you get me some body paint and a stylus?” Adrien asked.

“Adrien!” Nathalie snapped, fuming as she marched over to the young man.

Adrien turned on her then. “Nathalie, Dion is right. Besides, I’m almost an adult. Let me do this one thing, just this once. If father gets mad, then I’ll accept any punishment he wants to give me. But I need to show people what she can do. It’s too beautiful not to show off.”

Her eyes fixed on him, the intensity not lost to him as she chewed on the inside of her lip. But he didn’t back down or look away. He wanted her to understand, and to know that he wanted to show his Scrawl to the world.

He wanted to show that he was loved.

And maybe...maybe she could see it and come to know who he is.

Nathalie didn’t say anything further as an assistant brought a stylus and some yellow body paint; the easiest color to wash off.

Adrien took the small paint pot and wooden tool, walking to a makeup table nearby and taking off his jacket.

_Hey, can I ask a favor?_

There was only a moment’s wait before she responded in her beautifully curling hand, _I thought you had a shoot today. What’s up?_

Adrien smiled and dipped back into the paint. _I do have a shoot and the favor actually involves that. I want you to draw some designs on me. I want to show off your art._

There was a long pause, and he could see when she touched the brush to her arm then pulled away again. He started chewing on his lip, worrying that maybe she would say no.

 _Didn’t you say your boss wouldn’t approve?_ She wrote finally.

Adrien frowned, looking around to make sure no one would see before quickly jotting, _Screw my boss,_ and wiping it away almost as fast.

He chewed his lip and looked down at his arm, taking off the rest of the paint. _Please, I want to show the world how beautiful your work is. I want people to know how lucky I am to have you._

There was another pause, and Adrien could tell Dion was getting annoyed with the wait. _I don’t know…_  
Adrien rubbed his temples, trying to think of something that would convince her.

 _Your designs will finally be in a catalog,_ he offered, remembering she’d said something about loving designing fashion or body art or something.

After one a second longer he watched as suddenly the paint on his right arm was wiped away and his left arm was slowly being covered in beautiful vines, starting at just his fingers.

He nearly sang with joy, washing away the paint and going back to Dion, holding up the slowly expanding brown.

Nathalie looked at it as if it were a plague.

Dion looked at it as if it were a blessing from God.

“ _Quelle chance!_ ” Dion gushed, quickly grabbing Adrien and moving him towards the open windows. “Just sit right here and let the camera and art do the rest.”

Adrien smiled and nodded, letting himself be maneuvered around into the pose he was already familiar with.

He sat on the sill, his back pressed to one side with his leg up and his arm draped over it. He smiled when Dion finally backed up, rushing to get his camera.

Adrien got ready for the shot, tilting his head and smiling at the camera and waited for the flash.

“No, no! Don’t look at me!” Dion nearly screamed. “I’m not the focus of this. This camera isn’t here, we aren’t here. Right now, it is just you, and _her._ ”

Adrien didn’t quite understand what Dion meant until he looked back at his fingers and saw the designs still slowly making their way up the back of his hand.

She was being so careful with her lines, so precise with each swipe and so meticulous with each leaf and loop. His smile melted into something warmer as he dropped his arm down, his hand resting on his knee so he could see the art better. He laughed when he saw her hesitate after making a loop too large, but just incorporated it into the drawing anyway.

Soon, he forgot the cameras were there, and it was just him and the designs slowly spreading up his arms once again.  
At some point, he started moving around. He moved so his back was facing the window, his hands resting on his knees as he watched the pattern moving up his palm, curling his fingers slightly as it reached his wrist.

When it got to his bicep he stood, facing the window and holding it up to the light so he could see the concentration she was putting into each small movement.

He traced the marks with his fingers when she started on his other arm, following her almost exactly.

No one in the room spoke. No one even moved. They didn’t turn on the normal music they would play during the shoots. They didn’t demand he sit or stand in a certain way. They simply watched, and slowly found themselves being mesmerized by what they saw.

What they saw was a love story between a young model and an artist.

She put more detail into this drawing than she had any others before. Adrien couldn’t help but notice, and he wanted so badly to know who was responsible for this beauty. He wanted to be with her right now and watch her draw.

He imagined what he would do if they were together right then as he propped himself against the sill and held his arm up to the dying afternoon light.

If he were with her, he’d watch as she drew on herself. He’d hold her close as she sat between his legs, watching as his arms slowly were enveloped in her work.

He’d laugh each time she messed up and swore under her breath, kissing the top of her head and holding her tighter. And when she was done, he’d gently kiss her neck, then her arms, and hands. He’d trace all of her work slowly with his lips, leaving behind no un-kissed skin.

He’d show her just what her art means to him, even if it took all night and he had to worship every little millimeter she’d drawn on. He’d let her know how much he loved her work.

And how much he loved her.

When she was finally done, the sun had begun setting, and Adrien couldn’t help but stay put, sitting on the sill, studying the art on his arms.

After what seemed like too short of a time, but must have been an eternity, he looked up.

And he was shocked.

Everyone was looking at him so intently it was nearly terrifying. The women were all swooning at the looks he had been giving his arms, and the men were all devoting their entire attention to the way he must have admired the drawings.

Dion was the only one moving and that was just to lower his camera with a smirk.

He turned to Nathalie with a coy smile. The assistant looked just as mystified as the rest of the crew.

“That, mademoiselle, is why you leave the art, to the professionals.”

  


“DION!” It was less of a call and more of a roar.

Adrien had never seen his father this mad before and never had he heard his father shout, let alone be angered enough to wake the young man up in the middle of the night to drag him down to the studio to find their photographer.

“Father, please. He meant no harm!” Adrien pleaded.

Throughout the years, Adrien had slowly found his voice to speak up against his father. He credited most of it to his alter-persona Chat Noir, but he still held no ground in his father’s mind. Still, he tried.

“I don’t care what he meant to do!” Gabriel roared as he burst into a late night photography session. “And you are just as much to blame as he is! Going behind my back. Letting that girl draw on you. What if she had drawn something profane? What were we supposed to do then?!”

The models all froze at the sight of a fuming Gabriel and a pajama-clad and messy haired Adrien. “Father, please, not here, not now.”

Gabriel ignored his son, charging over to the brunette photographer. “Dion! What is the meaning of this--this _garbage?!_ ”

Dion quirked an eyebrow at Gabriel, simply backing away from his camera. “Garbage? Mr. Agreste, politely, you wouldn’t know what true art is if it slapped you in the face.”

A gasp rippled through the room, even Adrien couldn’t help but tense at the thought of someone speaking to this father like that.

“Art? _Art?!_ ” Gabriel bellowed. “We are not here to sell art, Dion. We are here to sell fashion. So, why are you marketing my son as a character in some cheesy romance novel?”

Dion scowled as Gabriel pulled out the newest catalog and threw it at the photographer, the pages fluttering to the floor.

On the cover was the picture of Adrien leaning against the window sill, holding up his arm and gazing at the art lovingly with his fingers gently tracing the vines.

The title read:

_Lovers brought together by ink, but kept apart by distance._

To his credit, Dion stayed very calm for the situation. “Mr. Agreste, I’m trying to help you. People are tired of seeing your son’s same old face. Yes, he is good looking, but everything is the same. Things need to change, and the people eat up a good romance story.”

Gabriel was grinding his teeth, his face scrunched into a horrid expression. “We aren’t marketing love. We’re marketing clothes. I barely see anything focused on the new line in this catalog. How did you think this is a good idea?”

“Father, please--”

“You will not speak.” Gabriel snapped, his eyes burning as they turn on Adrien.

Adrien cringed away as Gabriel fixed his stare to him. He hated when his father was disappointed, but at least he was used to it. Anger was something Adrien had no experience with.

Luckily, Gabriel soon turned his gaze back to the photographer.

There was silence as Gabriel and Dion seemed to size each other up.

Well, there was silence, until the sound of rapid heal fall echoed through the studio as Nathalie came sprinting into the room.

“Sir. Sir!” She shouted, her tablet clutched to her chest.

“Nathalie, not now!”

“But you need to see this, sir. Look.”

She handed him the tablet and watched as he fixed his boiling gaze down on the screen.

There was silence, and everyone in the room seemed to be holding their breath.

Then, Gabriel slowly raised his head, his glare renewed as he looked at Dion, but it had shifted to something else.

“You get to keep your job for today, Dion,” Gabriel said, slamming the tablet into the photographer’s chest before marching out of the room, followed by a frantic Nathalie.

Adrien followed his father with his eyes before walking over to Dion, looking at the tablet as the brunette scrolled through the statistics.

What he saw surprised him.

All of their volumes had sold out already, and they’d only been launched ten hours ago. Their new line was being demanded by companies in London, Tokyo, America, and even Indian fashion companies they had never been able to reach before.

Dion looked up after a moment, smugly grinning at the still open doors.

“I said it before and I’ll say it again. That man knows business. _I_ know the people.”

Adrien gazed at Dion, bewildered by how a photographer could know so much and or have guessed so correctly as to take a gamble like that, and still come out smiling.

There was a loud shout from down the hall and Adrien knew that was his cue. He took the offered tablet from Dion before running back down the hall, but not before sparing one last look towards the photographer.

He’d opened up a new story for the line, but where it was going to go...Adrien didn’t know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said I was going to bring the angst. Here’s a little taste. ;)
> 
>  
> 
> ~~Also, yes, I am aware that Gabriel’s characterization in this scene is not ‘canon’ but I needed this to make it work. So, if you don’t like it, shut up and let me do my own thing dammit.~~


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter of the exposition. Now the real fun begins as the scene is set for the young couple. Curiosity does have a tendency to kill cats, no?

“You know this is a bad idea, right?” Plagg offers from the dark.

Adrien sighs, staring into his murky eyes. “I know, but I have to see if it’s her. And if it isn’t her, then there’s no harm in trying.”

Plagg sighs. “But if it is her. What are you going to do?”

Adrien stares at himself, trying to decipher the emotions in his green eyes. “I guess we’ll have to see when we get there. _If _that ever happens.”__

Plagg shifts. “Fine, do whatever you want. But if she finds out she won’t trust you.”

His eyes go dark and he turns away from the mirror, catching a glimpse of the cat’s paw he’d drawn behind his ear. “I know.”

The kwami lifts his head, staring at his chosen. “Is it really worth the risk?”

Adrien didn’t look back at his friend. He was too busy studying the growing drawings on his arms. “For her, it’s always worth it.”

  


“My Lady, are you okay?” Adrien asked for what must have been the hundredth time that night.

“Fine,” Ladybug barked as she slid between two chimneys as the heroes sprinted along the rooftops.

“My Lady, we’ve been running for over an hour now. May I suggest we stop so you can talk about it?” Adrien tried in vain again.

Ladybug took a hard right and leaped over another balcony. “No, Chat. There’s nothing to talk about. I’m fine.”

Adrien knew she was anything but “fine”; she was just going to need some persuading. He pursed his lips and looked around, trying to figure out where she was going to go next.

He watched her head twitch to the side with an almost undetectable movement, meaning she was looking down at the river, or more specifically the road that ran along its edge.

He knew where she was planning on going next, and now he knew what he was going to do.

Adrien pulled on some of Plagg’s power to get himself moving faster, pushing his feet off the ground harder and harder with each step. He sprinted ahead of her, except for when he dodged to the side just before passing her; flipping into an alley below and onto a drainage pipe.

He swung down and pulled his staff, throwing it ahead of him to use as a bar to sing on. As soon as his hands released the metal device shrunk back down and flew with him, landing in his palm behind his back as he planted his feet on the concrete road and turned just in time to spread his arms and catch the crimson bullet that tried to run past him.

Ladybug gasped as she ran into Adrien’s chest, nearly slamming into him and losing her balance as he spun to try and absorb her momentum. It would have worked if not for his foot slipping into the gutter and his balance being thrown off.

The two heroes fell to the ground in a heap, Ladybug luckily landing on top of Chat so he could protect her.

Ladybug planted her hands on his chest and pushed herself up, looking down at him in surprise. “Chat, what the--”

She didn’t have enough time to finish as she was cut off by a squeak. Adrien had reached behind to her shoulders, holding them firmly as he rolled over to hover over her on all fours.

Adrien had long ago learned the boundaries Ladybug and him shared, and he knew right now he was skirting a very thin line between what was still okay and what she would get mad at him for. He just hoped nothing he would do next would anger the young woman.

“We need to talk about this,” he said, his voice so unmoving it made Ladybug stop to look at him.

She tried to play it off with a fake laugh and a small smile. “Chat, there’s nothing to talk about. I’m fine. I just felt like going for a--”

“You’re lying.”

It had come out before Adrien had even thought the words, and by the look on both their faces, he knew neither one of them had expected it. He wanted to apologize for accusing her of lying and for interrupting, but he found himself talking before he could stop his lips from moving.

“There’s something bothering you. I know it and so do you,” he said before he could stop himself. “I’m your partner, you can trust me with whatever it is.”

Blue eyes stared up at Adrien as Ladybug seemed to mull the idea over. Slowly, her hands came down from his chest to land on the stones she rested on. “Alright, let me up. We can talk.”

Adrien tried to hide the relief he felt, but it must have shown through as he pulled himself and her up. She gave a small nod and a sigh as she walked over to the railing lining the river, the moonlight reflecting off the water and playing across her hair in beautiful ways.

Adrien approached slowly, his hands behind his back as he tried to act as playful as he could for both their sakes. “So, what’s been _bugging_ you, Bugaboo?”

Adrien grinned at his own cleverness with the joke and waited for the inevitable scoff or eye roll from the heroin next to him. But, the longer he waited, the smaller his smile was. Until he realized it wasn’t coming, and he frowned and turned to rest his elbows on the railing next to hers.

“Ladybug? What’s wrong?”

He watched her shoulders rise and fall with her sigh, and watched as her eyes slowly closed as she seemed to think again. “It’s my Scrawl. He did something….well, not exactly stupid, but something--unexpected--the other day.”

Adrien’s back straightened a little. “What did he do?”

Ladybug lowered her head between her arms as she locked her hands together and stretched her arms out. “I don’t know if I can tell you.”

“Is it something bad?”

“Not necessarily…”

“Something that might be embarrassing?”

“...not really.”

“Well, I’m really good at keeping secrets,” he tried with a warm and soft voice.

He looked down at the raven haired girl next to him, her head still bowed as she took in another deep breath. “Fine.”

She stood suddenly, her blue eyes flying open as she locked them on the moon’s reflection in the water. She seemed to pause for a moment, second guessing her decision until out of the corner of her eye she seemed to notice Adrien’s reassuring nod.

She sighed again, folding her hands over one another again and again out of nervousness. “My Scrawl isn’t exactly a normal person. He...he kind of holds the public’s eye a little more than most people here. So, naturally, I would be recognized for the art he has on his arms and for the stuff I have on my own.”

Adrien nodded, knowing all too well about the hardship of fame. “Makes sense, you want your relationship to stay a little more low key but he doesn’t?”

She tensed next to him, her hands stopping and her nails suddenly digging in. “N--not exactly.”

Adrien looked at her out of the corner of his eye as he gazed out over the lights of the city on the other side of the fast moving river. He waited for her to go on, not pressuring her to give him the information.

She let a slow breath out of her nose before speaking again. “He doesn’t exactly want our relationship out in the tabloids. But he doesn’t want it to stay a secret either. He keeps saying that my art is beautiful and that he loves it so much and wants to show it off. He even convinced me to draw on him for some magazine he was going to be in…and I know he didn’t mean it to be a bad thing or to be used the way it was, but the pictures...the titles...”

He waited for her to go on, but Ladybug seemed to be gnawing on her lip to try and hold something back.

Adrien shifted against the bar, letting his elbow gently touch hers to let her know he was there for her. “You don’t have to say anymore if you don’t want to.”

She shook her head after a moment, the slight glint of moisture on her mask catching the young man next to her’s eyes. “I hate them,” she whispered bitterly. “I hate them so much.”

That sent a shock through Adrien. It made him think immediately of the title and of the way his father had twisted around the pictures to his own cruel gain.

_Young love blooming, but where is the gardener?_

It was a new ploy by the company to bring in popularity. It had sparked a near worldwide search for the young woman whose arms were covered in the same art as in the pictures, and it had been only fueled by his father putting out the reward of an internship to the person who found her.

He cringed internally at the thought that maybe his Scrawl was feeling the same. “Does he know how you feel?”

Ladybug bit hard on her lip again as something slipped from the edge of her mask. Adrien realized with a start that it was a tear. “He doesn’t know. And it doesn’t really matter. So long as he likes it, he can keep doing it. I--I don’t mind.”

Adrien frowned, turning to her suddenly as she took in a shaky breath. “Oh, course you mind. And you don’t deserve to be put through that just for the benefit of another guy who doesn’t know how to appreciate you. You need to tell him how you feel, and you need to talk about this with him. If he really loves you he’ll--”

“He can’t love me.” She snapped suddenly, nearly slapping Adrien across the face with the words.

Adrien took a step back at the venom in her voice as she let another tear fall from her mask, her eyes slowly closing. “He doesn’t even know who I am. He doesn’t care about me, and so long as he’s happy...I’m happy.”

Adrien felt something in his chest slowly starting to boil the longer he looked at the crying young woman before him. This was the girl he looked up to. This was the young woman he idolized. This was the beautiful hero he loved with all his heart. He couldn’t accept she was willingly putting herself through this much pain for a person she didn’t even know.

“If you two don’t know each other then why are you doing this for him? Why are you hurting yourself? You deserve so much better.”

He hadn’t realized he was yelling until he saw Ladybug’s red eyes turn to him, the corners crinkled with anger as her fists clenched at her sides. “You don’t get it! I know who he is. He doesn’t know me, and that’s how it’s going to stay. I don’t care if I'm sad, so long as I get to see him happy.”

Adrien felt his fake claws digging into his palms as the rage in his chest came to a peak. “That’s ridiculous! If you know who he is, then tell him who you are! Make him see that you’re unhappy and work things out. Don’t let him drag you through the mud like that. You deserve so much better than someone who would--”

“ _That’s the reason I’m doing this!_ ” She nearly screamed as more hot tears poured down her cheeks.

Their eyes locked for a moment and Chat could see the hurt and the broken girl behind the mask for the first time. She honestly believed that this was the best option and he knew nothing he could say was going to convince her.

She lowered her face, closing her eyes tightly as her shoulders tensed against the shaking breaths that were making her almost vibrate.

“I don’t deserve him,” she whispered, “that’s the problem. He deserves so much better than me. That’s why he’s never going to know who I am. And so long as I make him happy, I know I’m doing something right.”

Adrien couldn’t help the sadness and empathy that rushed up to engulf him as his anger left. He couldn’t stay mad at Ladybug, especially if she was crying.

He moved forward, wrapping his arms around her shoulders as she pressed her face into his chest.

“You deserve so much better than him,” Adrien whispered with his chin resting on her hair. “You deserve someone that will make you happy. Someone that will take your feelings into consideration. Someone that will try to find you too and make you as happy as possible.”

After a few more snivels there was a small, smothered thanks from his chest and Adrien couldn’t help but smile down at the girl in his arms. She wrapped her arms around him too, holding herself close as she continued to softly cry. He smiled sadly and nuzzled into her hair.

  


Adrien crawls back into bed slowly, pulling the covers up high as his Kwami and him both think of Ladybug crying earlier that night.

“I have to know if I was the one to make her cry, Plagg.”

The little cat nods, rolling over without saying a word.

Adrien stares up at the ceiling in the dark. He can’t get the sight of Ladybug out of his head. The way she’d been shaking from anger and from the tears she’d been trying to stop. He can’t stop thinking about the way she’d held him so close, even long after she had finished recovering.

He can’t stand the thought that he might have been the one to put her in that state.

“I have to know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~*giggling evilly* Now  
>  the real fun can begin. Let the angst come to us all.~~


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An akuma attacks and Adrien has a chance to find out if Lady is his Scrawl. Will it turn out in his favor? Let us see.

The screaming starts the instant Adrien hits the floor, his arms aching as they take the brunt of the impact. Marinette gasps as she slams into the floor below him, his hands protecting her back and head. She looks up at him and Adrien can see the fear and surprise in her eyes.

The table had virtually come out of nowhere, and Adrien’s proud of himself for even noticing the movement out of the corner of his eye. Now, the test room is filled with the sound of screaming teens and rushed footsteps as they scramble to the farthest corners of the room from the akuma.

Adrien gets up quickly, his body protesting after so suddenly having to dive over a desk to save his classmate. He turns to face the Akuma but is shocked when he sees none.

_Can it disappear or did it just run away?_ He thinks as he watches his classmates surge towards the door in a dazed mass of hysteria.

The crash that follows comes from somewhere in the lower part of the building and is a good enough answer for Adrien.

Without even daring a look at the startled girl Adrien pulls up Marinette, pushing her towards one of the desks and telling her to stay safe.

She shouts something after him as he takes off through the cluster of students still milling around the door, but it’s lost to the excited chatter of the terrified voices around him. He’s elbowed and pushed as some rush back to the safety of the classroom, while others struggle to get a better look.

He notices Alya nearly throwing a student over the railing to try and get a better look at the action below, and he merely taps her on the shoulder as he runs by to make sure she won’t kill a young man for accidentally bumping her while trying to take a picture.

He bolts down the hall, making his way into one of the bathrooms and into a stall, where he calls on his Kwami.

“Well, isn’t this just lucky?” Plagg says jokingly. “You get out of a physics test, and get to see if Lady is your Scrawl all in one day!”

Adrien frowns at the small cat. “I happen to like physics, and the Scrawl business can wait, the others are in danger.”

Plagg looks at the blond for a long moment. “You know, if you do find out....things aren’t going to be the same between you and her.”

Adrien is grinding his teeth, the sounds of his classmates screaming bouncing around his skull. “I know. _I know!_ I’ll deal with that later. Right now, people are in danger.”

Plagg rolls his eyes but is quiet as his Chosen calls him into his miraculous.

Chat Noir comes running out of the bathroom, but Adrien is still in that stall, still looking at Plagg as the Kwami says the punishing truth he doesn’t want to except.

_If you do find out...things aren’t going to be the same between you and her._

It had been haunting him all night, ever since he’d been dumb enough to touch his pen to his skin. But he didn’t wash the paw print off. Even this morning when he’d woken up, he’d left it there.

A small part of him tells him it is right, that he is doing it to make things right again between him and Lady.

To right what he has done wrong by making her cry.

Another part of him says he wants to know so he can have a justifiable reason to confess his love to her, and so he can finally know her identity.

The last part tells him he is being selfish and that Ladybug will hate him forever for not upholding their pact of secrecy.

He hopes the last one is wrong as his nose is assaulted by a pungent odor.

He rounds the corner, expecting to see the Akuma standing in the middle of the school ranting about their past and their goal, but is surprised to see the courtyard empty.

He walks slowly out onto the concrete, circling slowly as he notices light rain drops beginning to streak from the sky.

The smell of the Akuma is something strong, something disgusting and chemical smelling. He thinks he picks out one sent, but just as he is about to name it his senses are bombarded by another.

He cringes as the chemicals get stronger. It’s giving him a headache and making him sick.

That’s when he notices the flickering light coming from under the balcony of the school, dodging into the shadows as the sun is blotted out by clouds.

_Is it really a candle themed Akuma?_ Adrien thinks as he starts off towards the creature, pulling his staff. _Papillion has lost his touch. Choosing an akuma like that on a day it’s supposed to rain._

Just as Adrien gets to the edge of the balcony he sees a red streak pass before him, and hears a shouting voice. He’s been too focused on Ladybug to hear her warning as he’s suddenly hit by her body, forcing them both back across the courtyard. He lands in a heap with the other hero on top of him as they are both encased in a burning cocoon of what Adrien can only assume is wax.

He feels sweat starting to form on his skin as the light from outside the cocoon is soon smothered and the teens are left to struggle in the mass of hot wax before it hardens. They kick and twist to form a small pocket in the substance, but not enough to break it before it hardens into a small prison.

“Great!” Ladybug barks as she leans back into Adrien’s chest to kick at the walls of the bubble again. “This is just fantastic! Chat why didn’t you listen to me?”

Adrien blinks, his hands coming up to wrap around the her biceps. His head is spinning from so many conflicting smells around him. The only one he can pick out for sure is Ladybug’s. She always seems to smell like vanilla and fresh baked bread. “Listen to you?”

She groans and flips around, propping herself up on all fours so she’s above him. “Yes! I was screaming at you not to go near her. She can shoot wax you idiot and now we’re stuck in here.”

Despite their current situation, Adrien wishes more than anything he could see inside their small hut. He doesn’t even want to use his night vision. He want to see Ladybug in the normal light of day. He loves it whenever she gets mad at him; how her face goes red and her nose scrunches up just a little.

He also wants to see her for the last time before he knows whether she is is his Scrawl or not.

But despite wanting to see her, Chat knows they have to get out of there soon. He can feel sweat starting to run down his neck and back under his suit as the cocoon only seems to get hotter and hotter.

“I’ll get us out of here,” he promises and flips them over so he can plant both his hands on the bubble’s interior. “But I just have one question first, My Lady.”

Ladybug groans, and he can feel it when her hand comes up to rub along her face in frustration. “Chat, now is not the time for one of your stupid puns.”

Adrien shakes his head, feeling sweat flick off in small drops. They are running out of time to talk. “No, this is serious. Ladybug, please.”

He can practically hear her teeth grinding together. “Fine, what is it?”

Adrien swallows his nerves, taking a breath before starting, “Ladybug, what would you do if I told you we’re each other's Sc--”

He’s cut off by the sound of the wax around them cracking, and the feeling of pressure on his back. Adrien knows the instant something has broken through the protective bubble they are trapped in because it comes close enough to tear through the leather of his suit, but luckily stops just before his skin.

His eyes go wide at the cold feeling of metal, and his mind jumps into double time as he realizes just how bad things might be outside their little cocoon.

“You know what?” his voice higher and more frantic now. “This can wait. _Cataclysm!_ ”

The bubble disintegrates around them and both the heroes jump to their feet. Adrien hears the warning beeping of his ring and knows they have to make this quick.

“What do you think her object is?” He asks Ladybug as he stares down the waxen girl before them.

Ladybug’s eyes search the girl, landing on a single unlit candle embedded in the wax of her back. Adrien’s eyes follow hers until they are both once again looking at one another.

They nod, knowing all too well the routine.

Adrien lets his mind be cleared of his worries about Ladybug for a few minutes as he leaps into action, using his staff as a lever to propel him up over the Akuma.

The Akuma follows his movement perfectly and even hits him square in the chest with a large glob of wax.

The burning material scorches his skin as Adrien lands on the other side. But he merely ignores it, knowing Ladybug’s powers can fix his injuries and costume at the end of the fight.

He shoots his staff out and hits the girl in the shoulder with it, knocking her slightly to the side as she throws another ball at him, missing by just a hair. She screams in rage and throws another stream of the hot sticky substance at him as Adrien runs out from under the balcony into the courtyard.

The rain is coming down harder now, and the wax on his chest hardens nearly instantly thanks to the cold water. He still has to worry about the spire of hot wax flying towards him as he dodges another attack. But, out of the corner of his eye he notices a streak of red at the back of the girl.

So long as he keeps her occupied until Ladybug can get into position, he’s happy.

Luckily, he doesn’t have to wait long. Just as he is hit by another stream, Ladybug lunges forward and wraps her hands around the candle at the back of the girl.

He’s given just enough time to see Ladybug shattering the unmelted candle before he’s wrapped in another cocoon of wax. He struggles, clawing at the hot material and forcing it away from his skin as he’s cemented down to the ground. He’s able to form a little pocket just as the small chamber seems to quit growing.

The rain cools the wax too quickly, though, and Adrien is trapped in his small chamber. Luckily, the rain also helps to lower the temperature inside the waxen shell.

Unfortunately, he hears the beeping of his miraculous again, this time with a single piercing chime.

He winces as his transformation drops from around him and he’s left as a panicking teen once again.

He rushes to grab out a chunk of cheese as Plagg slides down the walls of the wax.

“Well, this is going to be good,” Plagg says smugly as Adrien pulls out a small triangle of Camembert.

“No, this isn’t,” Adrien barks and throws the cheese towards where he guesses his Kwami is. “Ladybug! My Lady! Don’t use your power yet! Please.”

He screams at the top of his lungs through the wax, hoping his Lady can hear him before she cleanses the school of the girls wax.

“Chat?”

It’s so faint he can barely hear her. “Yes, My Lady, it’s me! Don’t use your power yet. I timed out. Please, just wait until I can get my suit back on.”

“Can you breathe?” Her voice is soft but panicked.

Adrien tests his lungs, trying to calm his breathing. In his small space, he feels congested and claustrophobic. He feels how quickly it’s becoming harder to breathe.

He has two options right now. 1.) Open the bubble and let Ladybug and the rest of the school know who he is or 2.) chance it and hope Plagg can finish eating before Adrien passes out from suffocation. “Shoot, Plagg, eat faster.”

He turns around, knocking on the wax. “I’m good for now, My Lady! Worry not, for it takes more than a small bubble to take down this cat.”

He hears muttered voices from the other side of the wax, but none of them seem to be discussing opening the bubble, which Adrien is thankful for.

Sweat is forming on his skin as his head begins to ache. “Plagg, please hurry.”

“I”m going as fast as I can.” The cat gripes in between bites.

Adrien groans and rubs his head, feeling the sweat dripping from his hair down his neck. He only hopes the paw print on his neck still survives this. He hadn’t even checked it would show up when he’s transformed, but he can only hope.

He feels dizzy when Plagg finally says he’s ready. By that time the bubble has become too warm again, and the air is too hard to breathe. Adrien has to struggle to get air and as he turns back into his superhero counterpart he scrambles for his staff.

He puts it flat against the ground, activating it to thrust up through the wax. It works, and the multi-colored, scented material shatters away as cool fresh air rushes in.

Adrien gasps and claws his way from the small prison, only to gleefully collapse at the feet of Ladybug.

“Chat! Are you alright?” She asks, bending down to gently hold his face in her hands.

Adrien smiles, letting his lungs be filled with the smell of rain and vanilla from Ladybug. “I’m purr-fect now that you’re here, My Lady.”

She huffs and smiles at him as she stands up again. “Good to know those smells didn’t drive you crazy.”

Adrien shoots her a shit-eating grin as she pulls out her item of choice and releases her cleansing powers.

As the smaller ladybugs are released and swirl around the teens in their beautifully magical fashion, Adrien can’t help but be captivated. Not by the power, not by the girl before him as she’s swarmed by her classmates, but by the brown mark he sees creeping down her neck.

It’s been smeared by his sweat and was melting slowly down her neck into fading drips, but the paw print is unmistakably the same shaky one he’d drawn on his own skin the night before.

Before Adrien knows what he’s doing, he’s at his feet, reaching out to gently take his Lady’s waving hand. He pulls her close and whispers a quick, “We need to talk,” before apologizing to the people around.

There are protests and whines, but Adrien’s ears are numb to all but the sounds of his Lady’s voice as she squeaks, and the feeling of her waist in his grip as he uses his staff to lift them both above the school’s roof and out into the rainy afternoon sky.

Ladybug grumbles something about feral cats but the words are lost over the echoes of distant thunder as Adrien takes them across the city to a familiar roof they both know so well.

It’s where they meet each day to go on patrols, and it’s to be the place that Adrien reveals the truth.

He just hopes the rain won’t remove his evidence before he has the chance to tell her.

The roof hits under their feet in a frenzy of slippery steps and flapping arms as the teens struggle to stay on the slick roof tiles. Adrien scrambles up to the flat top and grabs Ladybug before she can fall, pulling her up and close to him.

He wraps one of his hands around her waist and the other around her shoulders as she tries to blow her wet bangs out of her face. She eventually gives up just as Adrien’s hand starts moving from her shoulders, coming to rest gently at the juncture between her neck and her collar.

“What did you want to talk about, Chat? I thought cats hated the rain,” She tries to joke, but stops as soon as she sees the look on her partner’s face.

The want, and love are so pure and so raw inside him that he can only imagine what she is seeing in his eyes. “Ladybug,” he nearly whispers as his hand trails up to her face, gently cupping her jaw, “you and I--we’re Scrawls.”

She looks confused for a moment, her eyebrows knitting together as her hands come up to his chest to lightly push him away. “What are you talking about? We aren’t Scrawls. I know who my Scrawl is.”

Adrien shakes his head, feeling something cold and hard forming in his throat. “My Lady, we are. You see…”

He turns his face to the side so she can see the paw print that is slowly being washed away by the rain as his hair starts to flatten over it.

She looks at the image for a moment, then reaches to touch her own neck, before pulling out her yo-yo to confirm. As she flips open the small monitor and looks at the mark Adrien knows something is wrong.

Adrien shouldn’t feel this way. Something hard and swollen is forming in his throat. He feels a cold stone settling in his stomach, and he is shaking. He closes his hands into fists to stop the tremors but is shocked to find his hands sweating in his leather despite the chill he seems to have taken.

Ladybug’s eyes range somewhere from confusion at first, to rage second, to pure terror in their final state.

She looks back up at him, her mouth falling open into a soft O as she nearly drops her yo-yo in shock. “Y-y-you…”

Her head starts in slow shake from side to side as she takes a step back, both movements almost undetectable to the normal eye. “My Lady, please, this is great news! You and I are Scrawls. We are made for one another. And I can make things right. I can fix things now.”

Her head is moving faster now and he can see her chest rising and falling in heaving breathes. Her eyes are panicked and flickering over him as she continues to slowly back away. “N-no. No no, no. This isn’t right. You shouldn’t have done this.”

Adrien takes a step forward and she takes one back, nearly leaping at his movement. His hands come up almost as if he’s approaching a wild animal. “My Lady--”

“Don’t call me that!” She barks, her voice as panicked as her wide eyes.

Silence falls between the two as lightning sparks the darkened sky. Adrien can see the rain streaking down her face and frame, plastering her bangs to her forehead in veiny locks. His shaking is back and worse as he tries to reach out, but she flinches away from his hand.

He pulls back, feeling the sweat pooling inside his gloves. He sees it the moment the muscles in her legs tense, and he knows exactly what she’s thinking the moment before she moves.

He’s running after her before even the crackle of more lightning can stop him. She’s ahead of him, leaping roofs and swinging from chimneys as he tries to keep up on the slick rooftops below.

Adrien pulls his staff as he shouts after her and leaps into a street. He plants one end on the cobblestone below and tries to extend the metallic tool to take him to the next roof. But, the water slick stones of the road cause the staff to slip from their surface.

He comes crashing to the ground below, hitting hard and skidding as the wind is knocked from his lungs.

He doesn’t realize it’s tears running down his cheeks until he tastes the salt on his lips and finds it too hard to take air back in. He tries to rise to all fours but his hands slip out from under him and he’s back on his chest in the rain once again.

Adrien tries to swallow as he struggles for breath. His vision is blurry and the hot lump in his throat is only making things worse.

He looks at the rain-streaked sky again as more drops fall to land around him. Even with night vision, he strains to see any sign of her. “My Lady!” He tries in vain. “I’m sorry!”

When the only response he receives is a clap of thunder he lowers his face to the road again, tears streaming his cheeks as he feels his heart stutter.

He lets his tears take hold of him as his cries cause him to shake. “I’m sorry,” he whispers to the road, begging for forgiveness not only from his love but from himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please forgive me for what I have done.  
>  ~~Never forgive me cause I'm having too much fun XD.~~
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> ~~I may or may not go into hiatus on this one. Just for a little. Just so you know. ;)~~


End file.
